A question (primarily for male readers) about mentioning the menstrual cycle in a story:

[Euphony]

OMG, RIGHT?!

So horny during periods over here. (although we don't normally fuck, we normally find a way around it)

I’m not scared
What a beautiful day!
Oh look! It’s some long, wavy grass!
Can’t go over it,
Can’t go under it,
Can’t go around it,
Got to go through it!

 

[Rustyoznail]

Personally, it wouldn't put me off, even before I started reading some (literally) really off shit here.

OMG, RIGHT?!

So horny during periods over here. (although we don't normally fuck, we normally find a way around it)

Back in the day, Bec also got horny but didn't want to have a shower afterwards, so external play was it.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Well, I'm suddenly glad my husband is not at all squeamish about it because I get horny as fuck on mine.

You tell ‘em girl .

Em

 

[MediocreAuthor]

My proofreader felt that I misrepresented him. I sincerely apologize. This was the actual interaction (with his name omitted, because I'm not trying to shame him)

 

[Bamagan]

My proofreader felt that I misrepresented him. I sincerely apologize. This was the actual interaction (with his name omitted, because I'm not trying to shame him)

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His math is questionable. Assuming approximately 4 billion men on the planet, his figures suggest that every one of them considers periods icky.

 

[Euphony]

My proofreader felt that I misrepresented him. I sincerely apologize. This was the actual interaction (with his name omitted, because I'm not trying to shame him)

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Midsommar to a 1000th degree less offputting than giant font.

 

[AchtungNight]

Sadly I have yet to meet a woman horny during their period outside this thread. Maybe I’ll ask you gals if I ever want to write about it without hand waving.

 

[Euphony]

His math is questionable. Assuming approximately 4 billion men on the planet, his figures suggest that every one of them considers periods icky.

That monk in Sri Lanka is totally zen with it. Well, part of him anyway.

 

[M_K_Babalon]

Now THIS I would 'nope' out of.

Coward. lol

 

[M_K_Babalon]

I would not be put off on mentions of periods, nor have a shyed away from sex with an ovulating woman. Guess I'm just manly that way. It's not a turn-on, but it's no big deal. In real life sometimes those hormones bring out the caveman in me.

 

[ElectricBlue]

For the record, there is no blood featured, and this is not going into fetish.

Who here agrees or disagrees?

Coincidentally, I reworked a short piece just last week of a first naked encounter with a university girl friend, where she had a white tampon string in contrast to her pubic hair. There was some back story involved, as to why she came to me when she did. It didn't fuss me one bit, but defined "intimate" very early on in my sexuality.

Having seen this thread, I might publish it. Freak out the nervous nellies.

 

[ElectricBlue]

My proofreader felt that I misrepresented him. I sincerely apologize. This was the actual interaction (with his name omitted, because I'm not trying to shame him)

Based on the actual exchange, I don't think you misrepresented him at all. I mean, "99.multiple nines of men won't like that." Really?

 

[Bramblethorn]

Are guys really that squeamish?

Em

If the AITA-style trainwreck posts I see every so often are any indication, yes, there's a significant percentage of men (but not 99.lotsanines percent) who are really grossed out by periods, and unfortunately quite a few percentage of women who feel obliged to pander to that.

 

[Altissimus]

In the third chapter of my story "The Price of Embezzlement" I bring up the FMC's period as an important plot point.
[...]
One of my four proof-readers (a man) figured that this might be enough to scare off some male readers. In the third chapter of my story

In the following scene, the MMC eats her pussy, and I didn't want people thinking that she still had lingering period blood

Well, humming jaws tunes notwithstanding, I do think this combination might be off putting to some readers. Been there, done that, and speaking from experience it's quite a different taste. And it's quite normal for there to be spotting for some days afterwards, too. So yeah... I can see some folk objecting to the 'following scene'. You're the author, though. Your prerogative, right?

 

[Devinter]

Coward. lol

I'm just not into any sort of FemDom at all. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum - highly dominant. So it just doesn't work for me. We are allowed to have our own kinks, you know. The fact that there's such a large difference out there between what some people like and others dislike only adds value and spice to all things sexual, if you ask me. Would be dull if we were all the same!

 

[SimonDoom]

Sounds OK to me.

 

[mpeters]

I don’t have a problem with it, in fact in the last of my Kate stories published it actually is a plot point when Kate’s period starts and other things happen as a result, and the point is picked up in the current story I’m writing.

 

[EmilyMiller]

If the AITA-style trainwreck posts I see every so often are any indication, yes, there's a significant percentage of men (but not 99.lotsanines percent) who are really grossed out by periods, and unfortunately quite a few percentage of women who feel obliged to pander to that.

No way!

Em

 

[EmilyMiller]

Yea. There are quite a few guys who are squeamish about periods. Back in the 1970's, it was a big deal for a guy to get his 'blood' wings, ie, oral on a woman during her period. I guess some older guys might not care but I'm sure many others would be grossed out.

God, I’m glad I missed that shit.

Em

 

[M_K_Babalon]

I'm just not into any sort of FemDom at all. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum - highly dominant. So it just doesn't work for me. We are allowed to have our own kinks, you know. The fact that there's such a large difference out there between what some people like and others dislike only adds value and spice to all things sexual, if you ask me. Would be dull if we were all the same!

I'm not into it either, I was just teasing about the pms part.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

A fair few women are squeamish about reading about bodily functions too. Especially the word 'blood'. One option would be to mention the period ending but omit the mention of blood - 'spotting' is sufficient.

Given that orgasm can be a cure for period pains, there's obvious erotic potential there. But generally periods don't need mentioning - being the time of the month when they put a towel down on the bed isn't generally a sentence that adds to a story.

I've mentioned periods once in a story when fertility treatment is discussed, and once when a party host heads off to bed early thanks to cramps, which fit with the details about women's lives in the story, and provided an excuse to get rid of her so other women wouldn't be inhibited from seducing her brother.

 

[GrushaVashnadze]

One of my four proof-readers (a man) figured that this might be enough to scare off some male readers.

It doesn't bother me in the slightest - but if ratings matter to you, then yeah, some men are squeamish about anything which does not represent the female body as purely existing for the sole purpose of giving male sexual pleasure, e.g. periods, lactation, pregnancy, stretch marks, perineal tears, haemorrhoids. I enjoy writing about the female body in all its multi-faceted glory - but I am not too worried about my ratings...

Violet_Vixen writes about period blood, and may have some wisdom on the matter.

 

[HordHolm]

I'm not bothered by it. There are issues of context, of course, and yours seems to be entertaining in the sense that it should probably add to the flow (no pun intended) of the characters' interactions. Some people might well be put off by it, but others won't, and from your description it fits as it has purpose. Go for it, and (in this instance) override the nay-sayer.

 

[StillStunned]

Given that orgasm can be a cure for period pains,

Orgasms can be a cure for pretty much anything - perhaps not the most effective, but certainly the most enjoyable.

 

[jsmiam]

God made washing machines with pre-soak settings so period sex can happen. That’s my view of the world.

BUT…. let’s also reframe using our oft discussed LW conundrum. Suppose you were instead writing a story about a wife having an affair then getting caught then ultimately the couple works through it. Just suppose.

And suppose your proofreader had said, “some readers might be so offended that the husband reconciled, they will act like idiots, will write hate filled comments, and may even sabotage the scores of other stories of yours,” would you be here criticizing, punishing, and publicly shaming them?

What happened here is, your proofreader pointed out that some readers will be ignoramuses.

Acknowledging that a flawed belief system exists is not the same thing as holding that flawed belief system. Your proofreader’s percentages were certainly incorrect, but I’ll be kind and point out the possibility that he may have also been dramatizing the numbers, for effect. But even if the proofreader is in fact squeamish about period sex, their assessment that *some* readers will be less enlightened and thereby squeamish is not incorrect.

The screenshots by the way, made it more of a public shaming, not less.

So yes, you do owe your proofreader an apology. I would suggest you owe your other proofreaders full disclosure at what you did too, so they can decide whether they want to keep working with you. Someday, a different topic probably, their opinion will differ to yours. Someday they too may have a thread written about them. I know I would be running the other way.

Final double-down disclaimer repeated: I personally have no problem with period sex. My point in this thread, again, is “acknowledging that flawed belief systems exist is not the same as agreeing with those flawed belief systems.” And, my point is, public shaming isn’t a good look.